The Nigerian legal profession has been thrown into mourning following the death of Professor Alfred Bandele Kasunmu, SAN, with senior lawyers describing him as a legal titan, mentor, scholar, formidable advocate and one of the last great figures of Nigeria’s golden era of legal practice.

Kasunmu, who died peacefully in the early hours of Sunday, August 9, 2026, was widely regarded as one of the most senior lawyers in Nigeria at the time of his death.

His death has triggered an outpouring of tributes from members of the Bar, who recalled his immense contributions to legal scholarship, courtroom advocacy, legal education and mentorship.

Among those who mourned him was Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, who described Kasunmu as “a lawyer’s lawyer” and “a gentleman through and through”.

In a tribute titled “Professor Alfred Bandele Kasunmu, SAN: When a Giant Takes His Final Bow”, Pinheiro said Kasunmu was a formidable advocate, distinguished scholar, former Attorney-General of Lagos State and professor of law at Obafemi Awolowo University and the University of Lagos.

“Prof. Kasunmu was, in every sense, a great man. He was a formidable and forensic advocate, a distinguished scholar, a former Attorney-General of Lagos State and a Professor of Law at the Obafemi Awolowo University and University of Lagos successively.

“Beyond these titles and accomplishments, he was a lawyer’s lawyer and, above all, a gentleman through and through,” Pinheiro said.

Recalling their professional relationship, Pinheiro said he had encountered Kasunmu on both sides of the courtroom.

He recalled a case, Dioudonne Donnie Ngnoumen v. Texaco Overseas, which he handled during the first decade of his legal practice.

According to him, Kasunmu’s cross-examination of his witness was “precise, penetrating and devastating”.

“He had that rare ability to dismantle an adversary’s case, piece by piece, without ever losing his remarkable wit and composure. He could inflict forensic damage and somehow make it look almost elegant,” Pinheiro said.

But beyond the formidable advocate, Pinheiro remembered Kasunmu as a loyal friend who stood by him during one of the most difficult periods of his career.

“My most enduring memory of Professor Kasunmu is not of him as my adversary; it is of him as my friend,” he said.

Pinheiro recalled that about 21 years ago, when he needed a lawyer of exceptional courage, intellect and integrity, Kasunmu stood by him and defended him without demanding a fee.

“Prof. stood by me like the Rock of Gibraltar. He defended me like I was of the same bloodline with him. He stood in the breach for me; and he did so without asking for a fee,” he said.

Pinheiro described the late professor as “fearsome in court, warm in friendship, generous in spirit and unshakeable in loyalty.”

For Pinheiro, however, the most important measure of Kasunmu’s life was not the titles he accumulated but the lives he touched.

“Perhaps, after all, the final measure of a man is not the titles he accumulated, but the lives he strengthened and the people who are left saying, ‘I am better for having known him’,” he said.

Pinheiro, who described Kasunmu as his “friend, mentor, confidant, soldier and personal and professional uncle,” said his final bow was one deserving of respect, gratitude, admiration and love.

“Professor Alfred Bandele Kasunmu, SAN; my friend, my mentor, my confidant, my soldier and my personal and professional ‘uncle’. You may have taken your final bow, but my bow to you is not the mere ‘doffing of hat’, but one of respect, gratitude, admiration and, above all, one of love.

“Rest eternally, Prof,” Pinheiro said.

Similarly, Professor Fabian Ajogwu, SAN, described Kasunmu as “a legal titan” and “the gold standard” of the Nigerian legal profession.

Ajogwu, who said he received news of Kasunmu’s death from his family, recalled his first encounter with the late Senior Advocate as a young lawyer in the early 1990s at the Lagos High Court.

According to him, watching Kasunmu address the court left an indelible impression on him and convinced him that he was in the presence of an exceptional legal mind.

“I first encountered Professor Kasunmu as a young lawyer in the early 1990s, at the Lagos High Court. I watched, transfixed, as he addressed the Court with a refinement of language and a brilliance of advocacy that left an indelible impression on my mind.

“Even then, I knew I was in the presence of greatness,” Ajogwu said.

He said Kasunmu’s name would remain synonymous with legal excellence, intellectual rigour and integrity, adding that knowing him personally beyond his professional achievements revealed the true extent of his stature.

He described Kasunmu as “a colossus in the legal profession and a luminous beacon in legal education,” saying his dedication to law, service to humanity and high moral standards had left an enduring impression on generations of lawyers.

The Senior Advocate said the late professor used law as an instrument of justice and social transformation, particularly through persuasion, while his conduct in the courtroom and classroom commanded respect.

“As a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, he wielded the law as a noble instrument of justice and social transformation through persuasion. In the courtroom and classroom, he commanded respect through his wisdom and the quiet dignity of his carriage,” he said.

Ajogwu described Kasunmu as a mentor and a benchmark for lawyers aspiring to attain excellence at the Bar.

“To many of us in the legal profession, he was the gold standard, the benchmark against which we must measure our own aspirations and carriage,” Ajogwu said.

Also, Prof. Taiwo Osipitan, SAN, described Kasunmu in even more personal terms, calling him a “father, friend, mentor, role model, lecturer of lecturers and professor of professors.”

According to Osipitan, Kasunmu was an amiable and gentle man, a quick-witted scholar blessed with an uncommon photographic memory and an inspiring leader among Senior Advocates.

“Prof ABK was our father, friend, mentor, role model, lecturer of lecturers, professor of professors and an amiable leader of the body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria,” Osipitan said.

He added that Kasunmu was “an advocate of advocates” and a repository of knowledge who remained faithful to the legal profession throughout his life.

“He was amiable, gentle and quick-witted and blessed with an uncommon photographic memory. He was faithful to the legal profession and was an advocate of advocates, a repository of knowledge and a family person par excellence,” Osipitan said.

Professor Chidi Odinkalu also described Kasunmu as a man of “sound judgement, integrity and wisdom,” noting that he was the last of the Senior Advocates of Nigeria from the 1970s.

“Prof Bandele Alfred Kasunmu, SAN, a man of sound judgement, integrity, and wisdom; the last of the SANs from the 1970s. Now translated into immortality. Thank you for an immense innings,” Odinkalu said.

Odinkalu also said he believed the baton of senior-most lawyer in Nigeria would now pass to Chief (Mrs) Folake Solanke, SAN.

Another Senior Advocate, Dr Joseph Nwobike, described Kasunmu as one of the foremost contributors to legal education and practice in Nigeria.

Nwobike said Kasunmu was among the early Nigerian academics who ventured into legal practice, bringing a depth of scholarship to advocacy that distinguished him from his contemporaries.

“As one of the early academics who ventured into law practice, his advocacy in the courts was very analytical and progressive. Through the various cases that he handled, he helped to define the Nigerian common law,” Nwobike said.

Although he was not one of Kasunmu’s students, Nwobike said he studied several of the late professor’s scholarly works during his undergraduate and postgraduate education.

He recalled Kasunmu’s courtroom advocacy as “brilliant and infectious,” particularly his ability to use the law to drive home his arguments.

Nwobike called Kasunmu “the last of the golden era of Nigerian lawyers”, saying his death would be deeply felt by the Bar, Bench and the wider legal community.

Dr Sonny Ajala, SAN, also described Kasunmu as an iconic figure in legal scholarship, advocacy and professional ethics.

“Prof. ABK was iconic in legal scholarship, advocacy and ethical comportment in the Outer and Inner Bar. Adieu the great Prof,” Ajala said.

Prince AbuAmal, in his tribute on his X handle, recalled Kasunmu as a distinguished academic, teacher, advocate and public servant whose influence extended beyond the courtroom.

He said Kasunmu was among the early lecturers at the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, and later became a Professor of Law at the University of Lagos. He also served as Attorney-General of Lagos State.

AbuAmal, who said he knew Kasunmu and his children while his family lived at the University of Lagos staff quarters, recalled his personal and professional encounters with the late professor.

He said Kasunmu was a friendly man despite sometimes appearing on the opposite side of legal disputes.

AbuAmal also recalled Kasunmu’s impact as a teacher at the Nigerian Law School, particularly through his teaching of Law of Evidence.

“Prof was the lawyer who made young people read law. He taught us Law of Evidence at the Nigerian Law School,” he said.

Describing Kasunmu’s appearance and personality, AbuAmal said the late professor was always well dressed, handsome and carried himself with distinction. He also recalled his love of cars and said Kasunmu headed a large chamber that trained several prominent lawyers.

“He trained Judges and Senior Advocates of Nigeria,” AbuAmal said.

Across the tributes, one description repeatedly emerged: Kasunmu was not merely an accomplished lawyer but an institution whose influence extended across generations.

His intellectual rigour, courtroom brilliance, integrity, mentorship and commitment to legal education earned him a rare place in the history of the Nigerian Bar.